If Mark Wahlberg isn't the nicest, most polite, most humble young male actor on the face of the Earth, he sure plays it well. In "Rock Star," as in "Boogie Nights" and "The Big Hit," Wahlberg walks through almost every frame with that "Aw shucks" grin on his face and greets every other older male on screen with a "Sir." It doesn't matter, to me anyway, that this character is a repeat of sorts of his other screen characters because, gosh darn it, I like this guy. And not only that, in "Rock Star" Wahlberg spends much time with his hunky, hairless chest exposed and his long hair extensions drooping down over his eyes. He's just hot.

Make no mistake about it though, "Rock Star" is an awesome film. Director Stephen Herek, who helmed the equally masterful "Mr. Holland's Opus," has a deft touch and a keen eye for subtlety. It doesn't hurt either that he's working from a really well crafted script by John Stockwell. Herek molds a story here that is real, honest, poignant and important. It deconstructs all of our American youth mythology about rock idols while never going over-the-top and never once relying on cliches. This isn't the youthful exuberance of Cameron Crowe's "Almost Famous," where someone simply gets to observe. Here, Wahlberg becomes the object of his affection: a bonafide Rock God!

How cool is this: In the film, Wahlberg plays a lead singer of a tribute band that covers all the tunes by Steel Dragon, a heavy metal band. When the popular band fires the lead singer, they hire Wahlberg to replace him. His manager and girlfriend, Emily, played quite nicely by Jennifer Aniston, follows him with the band. There is much sex and drugs involved in their new life. Emily, tired of the scene, rather than being a b**** or causing big scenes, simply decides to go back home and get on with her life. That's refreshing. There's no overt drama here.

And maybe that will turn some folks off. Because "Rock Star" is nothing if not subtle. It doesn't rely on huge emotional blow-ups to propel the story. Rather, Stockwell creates real characters with real depth and Herek finds just the perfect actors to portray them. For all his grinning simplicity, Wahlberg's Chris Coles is a real person with real emotions and real dreams. His evolution during the film is quite nice. Meanwhile, Aniston's Emily is also quite real and quite simply drawn. Aniston may not break any new ground here, but she proves she is an actress of considerable talent who can play a nice girl. The chemistry she creates with Wahlberg is palpable and we enjoy watching the trajectory of their relationship, even if its plot is slightly comfortable and obvious. We don't mind watching because we don't feel manipulated.

Herek has two really nice moments in a film that is filled with nice moments. In the first, after Wahlberg's first real concert with the metal band, a party takes place in a club that finds Wahlberg and Aniston dancing to the dark refrains of Ted Nugent's "Stranglehold." As the song draws us into this nighttime world of sexual liberation, drugs and new found freedom, Aniston and Wahlberg dance with other partners. While it doesn't appear that Wahlberg dances with a male, Aniston does dance with other females and males. Here, using only music and movement on screen, Herek says everything we need to know about how these characters' lives are going to change. It is breathtaking.

The morning after this event is quite interesting too, with Wahlberg and Aniston waking up amidst the early morning light in a room that has been trashed, filled with several naked women. Again, Aniston does not freak out or have a fight with Wahlberg. They agree to not talk about it. Because, in this film, she is as complex as he is, and she has partaken in the orgy just as he has. She is not relegated to "girlfriend" mode here. She has more depth than simply being that standard character.

Another scene, later in the film, finds Aniston riding in a limo with the other musicians' wives. As she looks out the window contemplating her situation, the device of a screen within a screen lets us in on her thoughts. It's a cinematic moment that looks cool and solidifies what a character is going through. Again without dialogue to act as exposition, Herek works magic cinematically here.

If I have any complaint about the film, it is that the handling of gay character Bobby Beers, as played by Jason Flemyng, is a little touchy. Beers is the fired lead singer of Steel Dragon. In a mirroring of the film's source story, the events surrounding the heavy metal band Judas Priest, Beers represents JP's lead singer Rob Halford. Beers announces his homosexuality to the group, of which they are fully aware, and then acts like a bitter, sad old queen. It's not a very nice character and his treatment is a bit off key. This is, however, a minor trifle as it is probably somewhat realistic and honest. It just sticks out a bit like a sore thumb in the film.

Wahlberg acts just like a wannabe minor musician who gets a shot at the big time. His huge smile at his luck in the film fits perfectly with what the film is trying to say. For every "Mirror Star" out there who ever dreamed about being a Rock God or Goddess (and what teenager hasn't?), "Rock Star" lets us live that dream. And then let's us revel in the fact that it isn't all it's cracked up to be. But instead of a bitter and disillusioned film about the horrors of fame, Herek and Stockwell gives us a film about real people and real emotions. "Rock Star" lets us live the dream, and then lets us wake up. The film chooses the ending we would choose ourselves and lets us know we would be right in choosing it.

Note:

Also with real rock musicians like Zakk Wylde, Jason Bonham, Jeff Pilson and Brian Vander Ark in the cast. Also with Timothy Spall.

Several 80's songs appear on the soundtrack like "Relax" by Frankie Goes to Hollywood, some Bon Jovi and Def Leppard. Humorous discussions about Wham and other pop bands also appear.

The Steel Dragon songs are sung by Wahlberg and others. I don't think that is Wahlberg singing the Chris Coles song at the end of the movie.

During production, the film was known as "Metal God." The film sat on the shelf for a while and the title "So You Want to be a Rock Star" was also considered.

During the end credits, outtakes are shown including a segment of Wahlberg on stage where the crew think it is funny to play "Good Vibrations" by Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch. Wahlberg looks none too amused.

At one time Brad Pitt (now Aniston's husband) was attached to star but dropped out when he and the studio could not agree on a director.

Stockwell spent time on the road with Priest and Pantera researching the script.

"You need to be good without being conscious of it." -Mark Wahlberg
"Money isn't as important as doing good work."-Mark Wahlberg
"It doesn't matter how good a person you are, how much you believe in God, how far you got a horseshoe stuck up your ass. You have to take the good with the bad. It doesn't work just one way." -Mark Wahlberg